How much does it cost to change a light bulb in a public toilet in Devon? Apparently, £30 is the answer. A report on cost-cutting by North Devon Council has revealed that 69 bulbs were replaced last year at a total cost of £2070. This year, 14 bulbs were changed... Read more...
Shopkeepers in Colchester are fed up with rising taxes and council parking charges—but they are doing something about it themselves by offering to pay for shoppers’ parking fees! Read more...
The Coalition has waded into the long grass this week to retrieve the recall proposals it kicked there after it came to power. However, Nick Clegg’s now revived proposals aren’t a proper right of recall and he knows it. In response to Zac Goldsmith (someone who knows what real recall... Read more...
Visit the TPA's shop via http://taxpayersalliance.spreadshirt.co.uk Read more...
Commenting on the decision by Patrick Mercer MP to resign the Conservative whip today, Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: Read more...
Some of this yesterday’s papers were difficult to read. “Hungry Britain” screamed the Independent in its front page splash. Read more...
I write for ConservativeHome about our new paper, How to fix corporate taxes: Read more...
Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) spent £3.3m of taxpayers’ money on developing plans for a waste incinerator—and then rejected it at their own planning committee! Read more...
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson seems intent on hurting motorists in Bristol, regardless of its impact on local traders. Mayor Ferguson is now proposing to raise the cost of business parking permits by up to 400 per cent. He wants local businesses to pay close to £500 per annual customer permit.... Read more...
At a conference on corporate tax avoidance and reputations, Public Accounts Committee chair Margaret Hodge MP backed the TaxPayers’ Alliance position that tax complexity is the root cause of much of the opportunity for tax avoidance in the UK. She told the Oxford Centre for Business Taxation’s conference that: Read more...
The Welsh Government seems to have a department or official for every head of population, and with so many announcements on spending, some decisions can be overlooked. Read more...
It has been a very busy few weeks for the TPA grassroots. Last week I attended the inaugural meeting of our new Birmingham Branch. The branch will be holding an action day on 15th June. More details to follow, but if you would like to help, please let me know.... Read more...
Writing for City A.M. today, I said that we need comprehensive tax simplification from politicians, not more hot air: Read more...
Conwy council in North Wales claims that "lessons have been learned" after a bridge rebuilding project in Llandudno went £1m over budget. The Maesdu Bridge, which has even been described by Independent councillor Dave Cowans as "value for money” is one of the main transport links into the Conwy town. The... Read more...
Reacting to Thursday's evidence at the Public Accounts Committee, Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: Read more...
Reacting to today's National Audit Office report High Speed 2: A review of early programme preparation Read more...
Boris Johnson’s London Finance Commission today launched its bid to wrest control of a range of taxes from central government. Tony Travers of the LSE, chair of the commission, said that the whole suite of property taxes should be devolved: full control of Council Tax, Capital Gains Tax on property,... Read more...
A Somerset supporter draws our attention to some extravagant expenditure at Taunton Deane Borough Council. Over the last years, they have spent £450,000 of taxpayers’ money subsidising the failing Brewhouse theatre in Taunton. Two years ago it lost its Art Council funding, but still it continued to employ 20 full... Read more...
Councillors on Camden Council have disputed the numbers for their council in this year's Town Hall Rich List, which was compiled using the council's own accounts. This isn't unusual: every year a few councils object to the figures and they're usually mistaken, most frequently because they object to the idea... Read more...
Sainsbury’s boss Justin King has criticised unfairness in the tax system, contrasting the bill for high street operators with their online counterparts. The supermarket giant’s chief executive also complained that the benefit from falling rates of Corporation Tax has been wiped out by rises in other taxes: Read more...
To find information on your local council's fat cats, simply enter your postcode below. For full details, see the complete Town Hall Rich List 2013 Read more...
Islington Council has sparked controversy by spending £38,307, or £339 pounds each, on 113 banners advertising its borough-wide 20mph speed limit. But that’s not the worst of it—they paid way too much for the banners in the first place! Read more...
Despite recently published grand plans for spending millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on refurbishing Bath’s historic Guildhall market, Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council might like to consider giving the hard-working traders in the market a break when it comes to charging them for council services. Read more...
Around 75 people attended the "Justice for Brid" protest last Saturday. The protest was reported by local media, and this story from the Hull Daily Mail contains video footage of the event. Read more...